The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Archaemenid Empire is the first modern academic study to provide a synthetic, diachronic analysis of the archaeology and early history of all of Iran from the Palaeolithic period to the end of the Achaemenid Empire at 330 BC. Drawing on the author...
First Mossadegh Lecture Series at the University of Geneva "From Cypress to Platanus: Trees in the Persian Arts, Literature and Cultural Memory" June 17, 2025- 9:15 am-7 pm Department of Art History, University of Geneva Organisers: Negar Habibi (University of Geneva) and Shervin Farridnejad (Univer...
In his Anabasis, Xenophon – a philosopher in arms – chronicled the march of the Ten Thousand across the Achaemenid Empire. His war journal remains truly invaluable today, as it sheds light on the fraternal bonds that united these Greek combatants of various origins. Their cohesion was built upon cer...
This study aims to compare some images of beardless attendants in monumental reliefs from the Achaemenid (c. 550-330 BCE) and Neo-Assyrian (c. 911-612 BCE) empires, which we consider relevant sources for the study of court eunuchs and cultural conceptions about castrati. We argue that such compariso...
Located in the middle basin of the Pulvar river (Fars, Iran), Pasargadae was founded around 550 BCE in the early days of the Achaemenid Empire. Its territory is dotted with remains of imposing hydraulic facilities (dams, dikes, canals), some of which date to that very period. The purposes and functi...
This lengthy article is the centrepiece of a congress volume dedicated to taxation practice in the Achaemenid Empire. It provides a detailed account of taxation in Babylonia during the ‘Long Sixth century BCE’, that is, the period between the inception of Neo-Babylonian Empire and the so-called ‘end...
In this conference volume, the proceedings of a symposium dedicated to the various taxes, dues and levies collected by the Achaemenid Great Kings from the subjects of their vast realm. It contains eleven essays arranged according to region, as well as an introduction with synopses of the contributio...
Les recherches archéologiques menées sur le site de Tell el-Herr durant 20 ans ont déjà fait l’objet de communications devant l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres en 1989 et en 1998. Interrompues sur le terrain à partir de 2011, elles se sont poursuivies sur le matériel archéologique et cér...
Aramaic was used in Lycia as the official language of the Achaemenid Empire, whereas Lycian remained the main communication language as well as the language of the local power. Greek, attested in Lycia from the 5th century BC onwards, first appears to be inseparable from the poetic genre, which was...
– New outstanding Achaemenid monumental complex in the periphery of the Persian Empire.– Magnetometer and ERT prospecting of adobe mud-brick architecture.– Test excavation, soil magnetic studies on top soils, mudbricks and excavation profiles.
C. T. Djurslev discusses the engagement of Christian authors, in particular Jerome, with Persian history. Central points of interest were the place of the Achaemenid Empire in history and the shift power from Persia to Macedon, both in endeavours to reconstruct the chronology of the past, and in mor...
The author discusses and attempts to contextualize those instances, when the Great King granted forgiveness to rebels against his authority rather than having them executed. The introductory section gives a brief overview of Achaemenid justice revolving around the concept of dāta, and deals in parti...
The A. offers, in a monographic volume, an extensive overview on the archaeology of Achaemenid Egypt, which represents, according to the A., a perfect case study for determining the nature and the impact of the Achaemenid empire in a single region, such as what he recognises was recently done for An...
– New outstanding Achaemenid monumental complex in the periphery of the Persian Empire.– Magnetometer and ERT prospecting of adobe mud-brick architecture.– Test excavation, soil magnetic studies on top soils, mudbricks and excavation profiles.
Within the territory of the ancient province of Persia, which corresponds approximately to the present-day region of Fars in southern Iran, numerous remains of hydraulic structures are known and reported. These have rarely benefitted from detailed studies, however, which results in functional uncert...
The Treasury reliefs and those of the northern gates of the 100 Column Hall at Persepolis show an audience scene with the Great King sitting in majesty. The image, celebrating the Achaemenid king, is an important testimony of the expression of the royal ideology. This study, part of an ongoing resea...
Bell-shaped column bases are common finds from the Achaemenid Empire centers. These centers were governed either by Persians or local administrators who were dependent on Persia. Two bell-shaped column bases were found in the village of Mawan, 32 km from Şemdinli district of Hakkâri province in Turk...
In this paper archaeological records from the site of Tomb-e Bot are preliminary presented with the aim of assessing the continuity existing between the Achaemenid tradition and the artistic production of the centuries that followed the end of the Achaemenid Empire. Tomb-e Bot is located in South Fa...
L. Fried provides a re-analysis of Nehemiah’s account of the construction of Jerusalem’s city-wall (Neh. 3). Against a recent suggestion by O. Lipschits, according to whom the building work was financed (חזק) by wealthy citizens, she argues that the repairs were undertaken within the context of impe...
This contribution assesses the significance of literacy in the Achaemenid Empire. In the A.’s view, the ability to read and write was not held in high esteem among the Persians (p.123) and consequently, there was little scope for literacy in private contexts, which in turn explains the absence of ev...
The A. provides an overview of the languages attested in some kind of official capacity, including Old Persian, Imperial Aramaic and Achaemenid Elamite, and their respective uses in the Achaemenid Empire. He briefly tackles the question of multilingualism and the role of translator-scribes in the ad...
Based on the Achaemenid sources (royal inscriptions and the Persepolis Fortification tablets) and Greek documentation, this article analyses the interrelation of the tribes in southwestern Persia and the Achaemenid kings. According to the author, the Achaemenid policy to control these tribal regions...
The Iranian-French project resumed its archaeological work on the site of Pasargadae in the latter half of 2015, the capital founded by Cyrus the Great in the center of the ancient province of Persia. It is the first step of a program that will span over several years and during which we will gradua...
The historians of ancient Greece, as part of the elite of Greek communities, of their own time. By studying the works of these historians one can become familiar with these traditions and the common view on the world in Greek culture regarding various issues and concepts. The purpose of this paper i...
The presence of Greek people in Asia became massive after Alexander’s conquest of the Achaemenid empire, since he founded a network of settlements in which veterans and mercenaries of his army were installed. At his death, even the Seleucids, the dynasts who succeeded him in the government of Asia,...